Author

The young boy in the bottom right hand corner of this photograph is believed to be Alexander McKinnon. (Source Northern Territory Library, hdl:10070/214497).

Alexander (aka: Alex) McKinnon was born at Charlotte Waters, South Australia, in 1889, the son of James McKinnon and an Aboriginal Woman named Cobb. Little is known of Alex’s younger life, but it is known that his father later married a Caucasian woman named Alice, who then became Alex’s step-mother.

Author

Written by Craig Wharton.​Edited by Samantha Saunders.

In English ‘ringkragen’ means ‘ring collar’ and was originally a part of a military armoured suit that protected the throat. Over time, it became a symbol of status within an organization, i.e. a standard (flag) bearer or, in this case, a sign of police authority. The duty gorget and readily identifiable badge of office of the World War II German Feldgendarmerie (military policeman) was only worn while on duty. It was known as "Kettenhunde", which translates to ‘chain dogs’. These officers were hated, feared and loathed by his own countrymen.